


it's just kinda different.

by Anonymous



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 0 pit fights!, Canon Temporary Character Death, Canon Typical Suicide Mentions, Family Dynamics, Gen, Technoblade-centric (Video Blogging RPF), constant hair ruffling as affection, found family taken waaay too literally, somehow.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29060178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Players don’t need dads. They aren’t villagers, they aren’t cats or dogs. They spawn in, alone, to fight mobs and kill dragons, not to be parents. And in a sensible society, they stay alone, forging friendships at most.Apparently, no one told Wilbur, and apparently, it’s contagious.OR: Wilbur’s unstoppable need to adopt vs. Technoblade’s unmovable unwillingness to be adopted, told in 8 parts.
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 9
Kudos: 170
Collections: Anonymous





	it's just kinda different.

**Author's Note:**

> SBI family dynamic is not canon to the DSMP, and I totally respect that choice for their characters. Family angst is not universally appealing. Unfortunately, it is appealing to me.
> 
> spoiler-free cws: canon-typical levels of manipulation and violence, ableism*, shitty opinions about coping mechanisms, and a lot of weird energy towards found family.  
> If you want to make sure before you read, and aren’t worried about spoilers, a long version of those content warnings is in the endnotes.
> 
> (it’s cbo! I got a uhhhhhh fic tumblr @seabeeoh, you should come yell at me for not making a real ao3 account. Or for not finishing Being Brothers, if you’re one of the 12 people who read that. oops.  
> Title is a spin on a line from "wow, I'm not crazy" by AJR)

They're hanging out between matches in an empty hallway talking about Phil's house when Wilbur calls him Dadza for the first time.

"Yeah, Wilbur, everything is coming along great. You should come over sometime to see." Phil responds, not noticing Wilbur's fumble.

Technoblade is privately glad. He's sure Wilbur must be really uncomfortable with a slip-up like that. A grown man calling another player 'Dad,' like they're villagers? Techno's heart would give out from the embarrassment.

Wilbur and Phil's conversation blends back into background noise until the speakers let out a shrill tone, and their break is over. Techno and Phil are on their own team, and Wilbur's partner had spent their break alone.

"Bye Techno! Bye Dad!" Wilbur says cheerfully, before turning into a different hall.

Philza smiles and waves him off, and continues on his way. He must've heard that time, but decided to let it be. Maybe Phil was embarrassed too? Techno's never seen Phil give up a chance to rib someone when they deserve it, but he's not without compassion either.

He's not hiding his confusion very well, apparently, because Phil notices.

"He does that sometimes, don't think too much about it. He's being nice." He pats Techno on the back and continues walking towards the check-in.

\---

He takes Phil at his word and tries not to think about it. His mind wanders against his will in the quiet moments when he's farming or falling asleep.

He'd heard of players spawning in without the instinctual knowledge that they're different from villagers, chosen by the universe. They were uncommon, but they were as strong as any other player, and sometimes a desperate village would... not trick the player, just.. Not explain things to them. Then they'd have a resident protector who could fight and come back from the dead, and who felt indebted to the strangers who took them in.

It was upsetting and weird to think that might've happened to his friend, but he could understand why Wilbur might still be confused in that case. Denying the urge to explore and risk and respawn would fuck up any new player, even without making them think they had parents out there, somewhere.

That didn't mean he was less freaked out when Wilbur did it again.

Phil gets Techno's mail, because Techno can't be bothered to establish an address for his potato farm. He picks it up when he visits- he's sipping the tea Phil's given him, scanning his letters, and listening to Phil chatter absentmindedly while he's cooking, when he gets to Wilbur referring to Fundy as his son.

The only Fundy Techno's heard of is a grown man.

"Phil? Is there a second Fundy? Did some kid show up in the Dream SMP?"

"Huh?" Phil rests the spatula on the stove. "Oh, no, Fundy's on the SMP. Didn't Wil tell you?"

"Yeah, but Fundy's an adult?"

Phil hums and nods, still looking at the chicken on the stovetop.

"Why is Wilbur calling Fundy his son?"

Phil is stiff, but his wings are fluffed out the way they do when he's uncomfortable. "Haven't we talked about this before? The family thing is something he does."

"We both know there's a difference between calling someone "Dad" every now and then and adopting another player."

"Techno, it's-"

"No, we're not fucking wolves, Phil! Wil has no right, just because Fundy is a hybrid- that's- he's not an animal, that's awful. The SMP is closed, can he even get away?"

"Techno, Fundy is okay with it."

"He's what?" 

"He's okay with it. Maybe even happy about it- he calls Wilbur 'Dad' and everything. They even have a little story about a fish and a river and- " Phil trails off. "I'm actually not going to explain that."

Technoblade is speechless.

"Let's not talk about that, yeah? What Wilbur and Fundy call themselves doesn't hurt anyone."

It's just the two of them. What they choose to call each other doesn't matter- He hasn't spoken to Fundy much, maybe Fundy is like Wilbur. Maybe they both feel better when they can pretend they're related. (The thought makes his skin crawl, but no one needs to know that.) Techno trusts Phil to think things through without being unnecessarily cruel.

He sets the letters down and clears his throat.

"How much longer do you think the chicken'll take?"

\---

It's not just the two of them.

The SMP is cold and damp, and openly hostile towards him and his allies. That's been his experience, at least. The best parts are the evenings, when everyone in the ravine gathers for dinner, and sits around the warm fire to talk. Mostly strategy. He misses tea and small talk with Phil, but they don't have time to waste.

Still, Wilbur finds a spare moment to ruin it.

He's brought out his guitar, and Tommy's trying to remember one of his songs. He's not doing too well, but his heart is admittedly a bit warmer.

Wilbur laughs after Tommy fucks up a line particularly badly, and leans over to faux-whisper to Techno. "It's like watching my little brother, all up in my shit."

It was a simile, not a direct statement. Techno feels a little uncomfortable, but as long as Tommy doesn't mind, Techno doesn't either.

"Hey!" Oh god, this is going to be awkward- "I'm not all up in your shit, and I'm not little. I'm a big man and an excellent brother."

Wilbur stops strumming to lean over and ruffle Tommy's hair. "You are, but that's how brothers work, Tommy. Someone has to be the little brother." Wilbur stands up. "You're my little brother, and Techno is our older brother, and Phil's our dad."

"Heh?"

"Yeah, what? I hate to say it, but Techno is younger than you. I don't think that's how that works."

Wilbur pauses. "We're twins, then. But Techno is still the big brother by a few minutes."

"I really don't think that's how that works, Wilbur." Tommy says.

Wilbur shrugs. "No one's going to tell me I'm wrong. Who gives a shit? I'm going to bed."

Wilbur's left the room, and Techno is still processing. "What the fuck?"

Tommy turns towards him. "What?"

"I am not your brother. We aren't brothers."

Tommy flinches. "Alright then, no need to be an asshole about it."

What? "Tommy, I'm not being an asshole? We literally aren't brothers?"

"Yeah, clearly not."

"Tommy. Tommy. Players don't have brothers? That's not how that works."

Tommy's face scrunches up. "Not blood brothers, but there's no reason you can't decide to be brothers."

"What are you talking about? Blood? We aren't... " Techno sighs. "You're young. You've been here since you were, what, twelve? You're welcome to latch onto an adult, but Wilbur doesn't need help. We're adults. We can take care of ourselves."

"I guess? That's not really what why. Schlatt and Big Q can take care of themselves, and they're still engaged. Same with Dream and Fundy." Tommy grabs a bucket to put out the fire between them. "And BBH is Sapnap's dad, and he can take care of himself too. We like knowing we aren't alone, I guess."

He stands.

"Night, Techno."

And Tommy's gone.

His hands are shaking. It must be the cold of the ravine. Tommy must be confused. Wilbur's tricked him somehow, made him think half the server is getting married and adopting each other. It's fucked. That's so fucked up. He should've done something when Wilbur was messing with Fundy, and now it was spreading.

He's needs to write to Phil. Phil will know what to do.

\---

Wilbur's dead, so the adoption problem is not an issue anymore.

It's a callous observation, and it fucking hurts, but neither Fundy nor Tommy see Ghostbur as family according to Phil. That issue is resolved. And when Phil and Ghostbur say Wilbur had gone mad in the weeks before his death, Technoblade can agree.

And then Phil tells him that he's helping Fundy vet Eret as a potential new parent.

"Why?"

"Eret offered, but someone should watch out for him until then in Wil's stead, and I'm grandfather."

"I meant wh- you're his what?"

Phil gives him a tired look.

"I know you don't like it, but we've talked about this. Your opinion doesn't change things."

"Last time we talked, I don't remember you being entirely on board either!"

Phil sighs. "He- Wilbur, he called me dad."

"We've established that."

"He called me dad when he begged me to kill him, Techno."

"Oh."

"And I called him son while I did it."

The sun is setting over the trees. Techno finishes his tea. He doesn't have the words to say. Doesn't know if he should say something comforting on an idea so foreign to him.

Phil dumps his unfinished mug and bids him a wordless goodbye when the sky is dark.

\---

Tommy lives in his basement now. More often than not, he wakes up because Tommy is screaming, and by the time he shuffles down the ladder, the kid is deathly quiet, shaking and crying.

It's miserable.

It's life.

Technoblade moved Phil's magic kettle, his stash of tea leaves and hot chocolate, and two mediocre mugs to sit under Tommy's bed early on. They need them most nights. These two mugs have a record number of days survived: Tommy hasn't dropped or thrown his in a week, now.

The record breaks when Wilbur comes up, and Techno says Tommy doesn't need to worry about what Wilbur would think: Wilbur was terrible in the end.

Tommy stares blankly at him, which he deserves. To be fair, he's never been good at the comforting thing, and he's not going to improve at 2 am.

"He was my brother." Tommy says.

Techno sighs.

"Why is that? He didn't protect you like a real family would've. Why keep pretending?"

"Don't say that. Shut up."

"I know he told you it was normal, but he was just your friend. Having a family as a player is meaningless nonsense. Wilbur was your friend, and he was a bad one. He's not a good role model. He convinced you otherwise, but he has no right to dictate what you do now."

Wilbur was very similar to Dream, in that way. Techno can point that out, the same way he does when Tommy's convinced Dream was his friend all along. It helps when Tommy is upset about Dream, so he assumes it'll help here.

Tommy's face is red. He's shaking so bad Techno can see him vibrating through the dark.

"It wasn't a lie! It wasn't meaningless! He was my brother!"

"And look where that got you both, he blew up your home. He got your friends hurt." Techno tries to reason.

"But he wasn't supposed to."

"But he did."

Tommy deflates.

"It wasn't supposed to mean nothing." Tommy says, quieter this time but no less bitter. "It was important. Back when things were good, before we even founded L'Manberg. I thought it was weird at first, too."

Tommy looks at Technoblade.

"You've gotten the wrong idea somewhere. I've been around since I was young and I can take care of myself. But Wilbur was my brother. He said family was different from a normal friendship, because no matter how mad you got, you'd always fight for each other if someone else tried to hurt them."

Tommy's quiet, and then he laughs.

"So he was still right, in the end. He didn't let anyone else hurt me. He did it himself. But he would've ripped Dream's fucking head off if he were here now. Especially towards the end."

"No offense, Tommy, but that sounds awful."

"It does, doesn't it?"

Tommy isn't shaking anymore, and he's not screaming, and his mug of tea is nearly done. Techno goes through far too much tea these days. He tilts his head back to drain the last of it when Tommy speaks again.

"I still miss him. And I think you do too. And whether you like it or not, he would've fought for you."

"Fortunately," Techno replies, "I can fight for myself."

He reaches for Tommy's mug, waits for a nod to make sure he's done, grabs it, and leaves.

He rinses out the cups.

He wonders what Wilbur would've done in his shoes, with Tommy in his basement and Dream out there looking for him. Tommy was right- Wilbur would've set out to rip his smiling head off the second he'd found Tommy, and Tommy would've sat alone in the dirty hole he'd dug, shivering in the cold and screaming at night.

Techno expects he'll always miss Wilbur, but the shoes he left behind aren't ones Techno wants to fill.

\---

The villagers used to hide their children when he came to trade, but he's a frequent visitor. In the time since he's cured several plague-ridden villagers, they'll even come and visit him. Normally with gifts. He's got enough household odds and ends to last a lifetime, and if he ever runs out of compasses or cloth or mugs, the village would help him out.

He's not liable to run out of mugs, anymore. He'd bought extras the day before New L'Manburg's festival.

The village kids like him, weirdly enough. He's oddly tall, and his tusks should scare them off, but instead, they treat him like a jungle gym. He'll visit to sell off some extra potatoes and see the cleric, and he'll end up giving unwilling piggyback rides to half the kids in the village. They just climb him, and he's too scared to throw them off. Kids are fragile, right? And as far as he knows, they all have parents.

A teenager follows him through the streets, chattering away at him and the small child on his back. Techno can barely understand him, though, and at some point his voice becomes background noise.

He gets to the librarian's door, and spots the teen again out of the corner of his eye. He's almost surprised when he remembers Tommy isn't the one following him, narrating some daily chore.

He misses the kid. He was annoying, but louder and more interesting than the voices.

The child on his back hops down, and the teen ruffles her hair, and they both run into one of the back rooms in the library. The librarian calls something out, but Techno's not familiar with the words. He gets his trade done and leaves.

A nest of birds sits on a window frame in the shop across from the library.

It seems like the universe is aggressively putting families in front of him these days.

Half the server is playing house, and he still can't understand. Why would you want someone to have the exclusive right to hurt you? Why would you miss them when they're gone, if they were hurting you? Why give everything you've got to keep them safe when you don't need or want their help in return?

Why call yourself brothers? Why pretend like anything in this world supersedes self-interest?

He doesn't understand.

He goes home, where there are no families and things make sense. It's only him, and Phil, and the teenage disaster living in the stable behind his house, half a dozen turtles, and occasionally the freezing ghost of his bizarre friend.

\---

Tommy's holding a server-side party to celebrate the opening of his hotel. No weapons. No armor. Everyone had to wear a safety vest and jeans, for some reason. Even Techno received an invite, as long as he "leaves his beef at the door." They're all invited to show up the night before the festivities so they don't have to travel the day of. And the special guest is a freshly resurrected Wilbur.

Fresh as in fresh. Phil says they're performing the ritual that day, and the party is half about the hotel, half in Wilbur's honor, and half an excuse for the server to be nearby if something goes wrong. With Wilbur or with Dream.

Wilbur would probably visit the arctic if he skips the party, but Phil's nervous. Techno can swallow his pride and show up for one night, keep an eye on the resurrection, and leave before he has to talk to anyone.

That's the plan, at least.

The place is fancy but cozy. He sleeps on the extra bed in Phil's room to avoid booking one for himself, since Tommy mans the desk. Phil grabs breakfast, and they wait. The resurrection is scheduled for noon, and Techno's hashbrowns are cold by the time they need to leave.

It goes well.

Wilbur doesn't seem surprised to be alive. The first thing he does is hug Phil. Then he ruffles Tommy's hair.

"I told you not to."

"Yeah," Tommy cracks a grin, "but you were a shit role model. I don't have to care what you think."

Wilbur guffaws, and he hears a hint of Wilbur in the ravine, but he's not begging to be killed, so Techno considers it a win.

They all head back to the hotel, and Wilbur pulls Techno aside.

"You should stay for the party. Phil says everyone will be there. I'd miss you."

And that cements his evening. Phil had insisted he leave enough extra feed for Carl that he wouldn't need to return until morning. He'd be mad that Phil predicted this, but at least he doesn't need to worry.

The music and chatter is uncomfortably loud, Quackity takes his shirt off, and it's by the grace and barely-contained violence of Sam Nook that he's still wearing pants. In other words: Technoblade hates it, but it's a pretty solid party by DSMP standards.

He walks upstairs and steps onto the balcony for some fresh air, and finds Wilbur sitting on the thin railing, feet swung wrong-way-round and dangling off the edge.

He's staring at the sky.

Technoblade's fingers itch to grab his sweater and pull him back, but he knows it'd be useless. He scuffs his feet against the ground, trying to make Wilbur notice him without startling.

He fails- Wilbur starts and turns to face him, then relaxes.

"Techno. I'm glad it's you."

"Oh?"

"I thought it might be someone who'd get the wrong impression."

Techno pauses. "What's the right impression?"

Wilbur smiles serenely. "I'm looking at the stars."

"I'd like it if you could look at them from a more stable position. A 16-year-old and a man cosplaying as a raccoon built this hotel. We can't be sure these bars are up to code."

Wilbur snorts. "So much for that, then." He swings his legs back over and makes the short fall to the balcony's floor. "I wasn't planning to jump, Techno."

"You wanted to be dead."

Wilbur nods.

"Then why weren't you going to jump?"

"Tommy and Phil need me here."

Technoblade bites back the question on his lips.

Wilbur smiles.

"You and I both know they don't, but they say they do. It's a nicer way to say they put in too much time for me to off myself before the day is over."

"Sure, but what do you care?"

Wilbur stares at him, unblinking and tired.

"Phil told me you thought it was weird. I get it. It's a little strange, but it's important. I don't care what you call it, but they're my family."

"Alright?"

"I don't want them to be sad."

He figures that's the best answer Wilbur can offer, and Wilbur's not going to kill himself if he leaves. He's halfway inside when Wil grabs his arm.

"Do you know why Phil told me?"

Techno shakes his head, a bit startled.

"He was sad." Wilbur stares at him. "Tommy told him you got angry when I called you two my brothers, back in the ravine. And I don't mind that, because I know not everyone thinks the way I do. But Phil and Tommy take this as seriously as me. We don't always agree with each other, and we hurt each other, but we make up and we fix things, because we chose to be family."

He points a finger against Techno's chest.

"And I think you need to focus on how you feel about them, not how the words we've been using make you feel. I don't care if you're our brother, Technoblade, but I do care if you're willing to put your life on the line and fix things, because they are."

Wilbur drops his arm, and the corner of his mouth tilts a bit.

"Maybe we were both wrong, anyways. They do still need me around, keeping an eye out for them."

Wilbur gives him one last look, and heads back inside and downstairs.

Technoblade makes it through the rest of the party by holding his communicator and acting like someone is messaging him. Almost everyone on the server is crammed into the lobby, and the rest are a staircase away, but it's nice that they're letting him pretend to be busy.

Techno can't justify not doing the one thing his dead friend has asked of him, even if he is alive. Possibly because he's alive: Wilbur's never asked for much from him, and now he's back from the dead with a single request. The dramatic tension compels the book-nerd inside of him.

He misses Edward. Edward was a great listener, and his shit never made it to any other players. Sure, Ranboo could understand endermen gossip, but he also wouldn't have remembered it. And Techno wouldn't have had to sit on his thoughts, trying to decide whether he wanted to be counted in the people who needed Wilbur alive.

He's not used to relying on people for anything, but the new perspective makes the choice a little different. He thinks about what he would do if Phil were gone. He'd survive fine. If Tommy were gone. It'd have no material impact on his life, since Tommy is currently a days journey away and they're not on speaking terms.

He still writes a letter to Tommy's residence the next day, and prepares for guests.

  
  


They're having chicken with cheddar and potato stew. He'd bet Phil is tired of both at this point, but there aren't many options considering pork, beef, mutton, winged game and fish all off the table.

(Techno had trouble cooking over a log fire when Tommy was staying in his house. The second one of them picks up a chicken or inanimate slice of cheese as a pet, the four of them are no longer going to be able to eat together. They might as well make the most of it while they have the chance.)

Tommy and Wilbur arrive as subdued as he expected, which is to say, Tommy enters his house yelling about primes, immediately cusses him out and then asks what they're eating, but he's slightly quieter than normal.

It's nice to see them all together. He realizes suddenly that he's never seen it before. They're all together, no fighting, no swords, no withers or packed room with everyone on the server and their mother. Phil's looking at them all weird, though, so Technoblade ushers them towards the dining room. No extra emotions today, no thank you.

They're all sat down and starting to eat when Tommy asks why he invited them over.

"I wanted to tell you guys, I.. uh.." Why is he doing this now? He swallows. "I don't always get it, but I do care about you guys."

Tommy sighs, and slumps in his chair. He's already putting this wrong.

"I'm not gonna.. I'm not gonna forge a birth certificate with Phil's name on it or whatever the fuck Wilbur gets up to in his free time, and Tommy doesn't get to call me 'Techie' or some shit, but I never want you guys to be sad-"

Phil sets his fork down. "Techno, you don't have to agree to something you're uncomfortable with to make us happy."

"No, listen, I-"

"Awwww, can I call you 'Techie,' though?" Wilbur interrupts.

"I wouldn't call you Techie even if you asked me too. I use big man nicknames, Big T."

Phil's frowning. "Guys, please don't make this harder than it needs to be. Let's just enjoy dinner?"

"Not until I break out the forgery materials. We leave this conversation with fake birth certificates or not at all." Wilbur says.

Tommy starts. "The Blade is a good nickname. I never called Wilbur anything weird. Don't be ru-"

Techno slams his hands on the table. "I'm trying to tell you guys I want to be your family!"

Everyone stops talking.

"I want you guys to be happy. I want you to be safe. I want a chance to fix things when I hurt you." He looks at Phil, then Tommy, who's staring at his chicken resolutely. "I want to give you all the same chance."

"I don't understand why you all use the words that you're using. But I like the stuff behind it. So if I know what's behind the words, I'm on board."

Everyone's quiet. Looking at him.

He definitely should've waited until after dinner.

"If you're okay with that. Or we can pretend this didn't happen."

And then Phil _ruffles his hair._

"Uh?" He says, bewildered.

Phil grins. "That's Dad privileges. You can ruin Wilbur and Tommy's hair." He pauses. "Shit, if that weirds you out, I can not do that again?"

"No, that's fine?"

Phil does it again.

"I didn't mean right now!

"I will not be denied my right, Techno!"

Wilburs fucking beaming. He's so full of himself, but Techno's glad he's not upset.

Tommy's eyebrows are furrowed and his lips are pressed and thin, though, and the mood comes back down.

"It's fine if that door is closed, Tommy. I understand."

"It's not closed." Tommy takes a deep breath. "I just need time to make sure I'm okay with that."

Techno nods.

Tommy mirrors him. "But I think I probably will be."

Techno wants to ruffle his hair.

Jesus Christ. It really is contagious.

**Author's Note:**

> Long version CWs:  
> Ableism: Techno doesn’t dismiss any real disabilities, but assumes something is “wrong” with Wilbur + others when they form family bonds. It’s referred to as delusional a few times.  
> Coping mechanisms + Weird Energy towards found family: see above. Adopting a brother is not a coping mechanism, but he assumes it might be. Techno sees family as something other species + young players do, not adult players, so it might mirror shitty opinions about real-world coping mechanisms or relying on your family after childhood.
> 
> real end notes:
> 
> no shade at people who use “Techie” as a nickname for techno in SBI fluff. I love and respect you, I just write a different flavor of SBI fluff, lol.
> 
> Tommy changes his mind really quick at the end there, but that’s because Tommy as a character in the DSMP seems to test limits, a lot. Like with Puffy’s axe or Sam’s tasks, he’s cool with both outcomes, but he wants make sure everyone will react in a safe way if he pushes. So when Technoblade just accepts his answer, that’s part of his decision.  
> I can’t show that from the Techno POV, though… rip.
> 
> thanks for reading! I have not reread this since I wrote it at 4 am and I refuse to do so now!


End file.
